Paraneoplastic Syndromes in Lung Cancer
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Chapter 2 Paraneoplastic Syndromes in Lung Cancer Dilaver TasDilaver Tas Additional information is available at the end of the chapter http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79127 Abstract In recent years, the incidence of lung cancer (LC) has been increasing throughout the world and is the most common type of cancer in all regions of the world, occurring more frequently in men than in women. Paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) refer to clinical conditions that develop in relation to tumors, without physical effects of the primary or metastatic tumors. The development of PNS is not associated with the size of the primary tumor or the extent of metastases. It is usually seen in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) as well as other types of lung cancer. PNS developed in almost 1 in 10 patients with lung cancer and it may be an indicator for the diagnosis of lung cancer and it can be seen during later stages of cancer or at the time of cancer recurrence. Accordingly, the identification of these syndromes can be helpful in the early diagnosis of occult cancers, allowing timely treatment. PNS decreases the quality of life of the patients with cancer and thus requires specific treatment. Moreover, these conditions can be used as a marker of cancer activity and can predict prognosis. In this section, a detailed description of PNS is provided. Keywords: lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, paraneoplastic syndromes 1. Introduction 1.1. Definition The term “paraneoplastic syndrome (PNS)” refers to tumor-related symptoms and findings that are independent of the direct, local extent or physical effects of metastases. PNS develops in response to the effects of hormones and cytokines released from cancer cells, or due to the immunologic response of cancer cells [1, 2]. In this regard, there is no single mechanism © 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 24 Lung Cancer - Strategies for Diagnosis and Treatment underlying the development of PNS, and potential mechanisms have not yet been clearly understood. On the other hand, several tumor-secreted proteins that may be associated with the development of PNS have been defined in the recent years. Generally, the ectopic produc- tion of peptide hormones with hormonal activity and immunological mechanisms can be seen in patients with PNS. The diagnosis and treatment of PNS are complementary parts of lung cancer (LC) manage- ment. PNS may involve several organs and systems, and so may therefore result in neurologi- cal, dermatological, hematological, nephrological, rheumatologic, metabolic, immunologic and constitutional signs and symptoms. 1.2. History In 1865, Armand Trousseau, a French internal diseases specialist, stated that the identification of unexpected or migratory thrombophlebitis could indicate an occult visceral malignancy [3], and today, the development of superficial migratory thrombophlebitis related to visceral cancer is known as Trousseau syndrome. An Austrian dermatologist, Ferdinand von Hebra, underlined the significance of internal disease in the etiology of several skin manifestations such as urticaria, generalized pruritus, xanthoma, and pemphigus. In 1868, he further stated that skin pigmentation could be an indicator of cervical cancer [4, 5]. In 1890, a French physi- cian named Auche defined peripheral nervous system involvement in patients with stomach, pancreas, and uterus cancer [6], while acanthosis nigricans associated with malignancy was reported separately by Pollitzer and Janovsky in 18907 []. Later, Brown identified the Cushing syndrome in a patient with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in 1928 [8], and in 1933, neuropathy development was reported in a patient with oat cell carcinoma (small-cell lung cancer) [9]. Guichard and Vignon used the term “paraneoplastic” for the first time in 1949 when they identified central and peripheral neuropathies in a patient with cervical cancer [10]. In 1957, Schwartz et al. reported hyponatremia in a patient with LC 11[ ]. In 1967, Bartter and Schwartz defined the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) 12[ ]. The relationship between the neurological PNS and LC was first suggested by Oppenheim at the end of the nineteenth century [9]. In the following years, etiologic and pathogenetic studies were carried out to evaluate the relationship between PNS and cancer including LC. Additionally, new PNS definitions and new developments have been made which are still ongoing. 1.3. Epidemiology LC is currently the most common type of cancer throughout the world [13]. Due to the high incidence rate of LC and the relatively high frequency of PNS in SCLC cases, LC-related PNS is more common than other types of cancer [14–17]. However, it is difficult to estimate PNS frequency due to challenges in the identification of PNS and uncertainty in the differentia- tion of its symptoms because of the underlying disease. PNS can be seen in all age groups of patients with cancer. However, due to the nature of cancer, it is more common in middle- aged and older individuals. PNS develops in 1–7.4% of all patients with cancer, although it is estimated to develop in 20% of all patients with cancer [14]. The inclusion of generalized malignancy symptoms, such as cachexia and fever, increases PNS frequency up to 70% [18]. Paraneoplastic Syndromes in Lung Cancer 25 http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79127 PNS can occur both in patients with SCLC and with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SCLC has a neuroendocrine origin and PNS is more common in such cancer types. PNS is seen by 7–15% of all patients with LC. Systemic symptoms and findings of PNS develop in 50% of patients with SCLC and almost 10% of patients with NSCLC [19]. PNS develops secondary to LC and increases the severity of the disease. It is therefore crucial to recognize PNS in these patients. Incidences of PNS will increase in the coming years thanks to the improvements in diagnosis and treatment of LC as well as in the diagnosis of PNS. 1.4. Pathophysiology PNS may develop under the effects of substances released by the tumor or as a result of the cross-reactions between tissues and the antibodies produced against the tumor. Studies investigating the pathogenesis of PNS offer some evidences that PNS develops based on different pathogenetic mechanisms, such as: 1. The production of special substances by tumor cells, leading specifically to the develop- ment of PNS. These substances may be hormones, growth factors, vasoactive peptides, cytokines, enzymes or other signaling molecules. 2. Abnormal immune response of the host organ to the neo-antigens produced by the tumor or to other tumor products [7, 18, 20]. Endocrinologic PNS generally develops due to the increased production of hormones or hormone precursors by malignant cells. The best example for this is paraneoplastic Cushing syndrome seen in patients with SCLC [21]. Paraneoplastic hypercalcemia is an example of PNS associated with cytokine production. Some cytokines (IL-1, 3, and 6, prostaglandins, TGF-α, TNF-α [lymphotoxin], and TNF-β [cachectin], etc.) that are synthesized by the malignant cells may result in hypercalcemia by activating osteoclasts [22]. Cancer cells are recognized by the immune cells and lead to the production of antibodies. As cancer cells are identical to normal cells in nature, the antigens on the cancer cells are similar to those of natural cells. Therefore, the formed antibodies may have a cross-reaction with normal tissues. This pathophysiological condition is most commonly seen in neurological PNS [23, 24]. The main mechanism underlying above-described pathological response in patients with LC and other types of cancer still presents an unanswered question. The most appropriate answer to that would be inappropriate gene expression (IGE). IGE may be described as the formation of an inappropriate gene programmed to produce tumoral proteins in cancer cells. This may lead to the development of new disorders that will negatively affect patient well-being. Thus, the quality of life of the patient is impaired and the severity of the disease increases [18]. Genetic studies that will be performed in the future to identify IGEs in cancer patients will allow the early detection of PNS, even before the clinical diagnosis, and more importantly, will be helpful to identify malignant formations. 26 Lung Cancer - Strategies for Diagnosis and Treatment 2. Paraneoplastic syndromes The diagnosis of PNS is relatively challenging, as lesions may develop in regions distant to the cancer and may not resemble a cancer-related disease, and the disorder has benign forms in general as well as malignant forms. PNS should be suspected in the presence of below char- acteristics: absence of a defined etiology for the associated syndrome; correlation between the time of diagnosis of the syndrome and that of cancer; clinical and histological remission after complete surgical or chemotherapy treatment and a worsening of symptoms due to tumor residue [25]. Although PNS may be associated with a lot of malignancies, they are associated most com- monly with lung cancer, specifically SCLC. Humoral hypercalcemia and SIADH, which is seen in orderly squamous cell and SCLC, are the most common PNSs. Multiple para- neoplastic syndromes can be seen in patients with SCLC. In the literature, there have been patients with two or more paraneoplastic syndromes associated with SCLC, even though rarity. Paraneoplastic syndromes usually have a course parallel to the underlying malig- nancy. Treating the underlying tumor is the first choice and symptomatic therapy can be useful [2, 26–29].